Diabetes is a widespread condition, affecting millions worldwide. In the United States alone, an estimated 23.6 million people, or 7.8% of the population, have the condition. Diabetes accounts for an estimated $174 billion annually in direct and indirect medical costs. Depending on the type (Type 1, Type 2, and the like), diabetes may be associated with one or more symptoms such as fatigue, blurred vision, and unexplained weight loss, and may further be associated with one more complications such as hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, neuropathy, and nephropathy.
To help prevent these undesirable complications, it may be necessary for people with diabetes to monitor one or more blood analyte levels, such as blood glucose. Glucose testing allows a patient to ensure that his or her blood glucose is at a safe level, which in turn may help monitor the effectiveness of diet, medication, and exercise in controlling the patient's diabetes, and may also help reduce the risk of developing one or more diabetes-related conditions (e.g., blindness, kidney damage and nerve damage). Many of the currently available glucose meters, however, require numerous components and complicated steps to complete a test, and often do not allow for discreet testing. This may reduce the likelihood of user compliance. As such, it may be desirable to produce safe and effective analyte concentration meters that may make sampling discrete and easier for the user and reduces the number of separate components a patient must carry.